Combining The Wainstones Walk and The Lord Stones Walk

The Wainstones Walk and the Lord Stones Walk are two of the best walks in the North York Moors National Park. Did you know it’s possible to combine these two walks? That’s exactly what Beck and I did. In this guide, we’ll cover all the main details about combining the Wainstones Walk and the Lord Stones Walk.

Before we dive into the combined walk, we’ll briefly run through details about the individual Wainstones Walk and Lord Stones Walk.

The Wainstones Walk

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 14.5km
• Time: 5 hours
• Elevation gain: 615m
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead: Chop Gate Village Hall or Clay Bank Car Park
• Map: AllTrails

The Wainstones Walk (AKA the Wainstones circular walk) is a loop moorland walk that typically starts from Chop Gate Village Hall. Although, you can also complete the walk from the Clay Bank Car Park.

Other than exploring Cold Moor and Urra Moor, the main attraction of the walk is, of course, the Wainstones.

What Are the Wainstones?

The Wainstones are some of the most remarkable sandstone crags in northern England. The impressive collection of rock formations is the largest group of sandstone crags in the North York Moors National Park.

Undoubtedly, the Wainstones are one of the best natural attractions in the national park.

The Lord Stones Walk

Near the Wainstones Walk, the Lord Stones Walk is another loop walk, but this one is much shorter. During this walk, you’ll ascend Cringle Moor, which provides stellar views of the North York Moors, including Yorkshire’s Matterhorn – Roseberry Topping.

You’ll start the walk from the Lord Stones Country Park, which is a privately owned estate. This is where you’ll find the Lord Stones.

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 4.5km
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Elevation gain: 185m
• Difficulty: Easy
• Trailhead: Lord Stones Country Park
• Map: AllTrails

What Are the Lord Stones?

The Lord Stones are a set of ancient kerbstones located within the Lord Stones Country Park. During the Bronze Age, a stone circle was erected to mark the perimeter of a burial mound. The several standing stones are what remain of the prehistoric stone circle.

You’ll find that one of the stones is marked with prehistoric carvings. This specific stone is actually known as the Three Lords’ Stone, as it was the spot where the estates of three landowning lords converged.

The Lord Stones are one of the most notable historical sites in the North York Moors.

Combining the Wainstones and the Lord Stones Walks

It’s straightforward to combine the Wainstones and Lord Stones walks. Both walks are located very close to each other and are merely separated by a small segment of the Cleveland Way National Trail. To combine the walks, simply continue along the Cleveland Way, which separates the two loop walks. For further clarity, please refer to the map below.

Admittedly, most people walk the Wainstones Walk and the Lord Stones Walk separately. However, if you want to do a longer walk, Beck and I highly recommend combining the two walks. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wainstones Walk and Lord Stones Walk Route Map

This map illustrates how a small section of the Cleveland Way joins the Wainstones Walk and the Lord Stones Walk.

Wainstones Walk and Lord Stones Walk Details

• Type: Loop
• Distance: 21km
• Time: 6–7 hours
• Elevation gain: 1,150m
• Difficulty: Hard
• Trailhead: Lord Stones Country Park, Clay Bank Car Park or Chop Gate Village Hall

Parking Options

Personally, we started the walk from Lord Stones Country Park, where free parking is available (at the time of writing). This meant we started with the first half of the Lord Stones Walk, continued east along the Cleveland Way, completed the Wainstones Walk circuit, and then returned via the Cleveland Way and the remaining half of the Lord Stones Walk.

It’s also possible to start the walk from alternate places. Instead of starting with the Lord Stones Walk by parking at the Lord Stones Country Park, you can start with the Wainstones Walk from either the Clay Bank Car Park or Chop Gate Village Hall.

But, bear in mind that at the time of writing, the Clay Bank Car Park (£5 all day and £4 half-day) and the car park at the Chop Gate Village Hall (£5) are pay and display car parks.

Our Experience Doing the Walk

Rather than provide a tedious step-by-step trail description, we’ll reveal the highlights of the walk. Hopefully, this will give you a sense of what to expect and inspire you to follow in our footsteps.

Lord Stones Country Park

After a quick visit to Blow Gill Waterfall, we made our way to the Lord Stones Country Park. From there, it’s only a short walk to the historical Lord Stones, which are found on a grassy knoll of Green Bank.

Once you visit the Lord Stones, you’ll then follow the Cleveland Way eastwardly ascending Cringle Moor.

Cringle Moor

As you walk up Cringle Moor, you’ll start to enjoy excellent views of the surrounding landscape. You’ll then pass the Alex Falconer Memorial plaque and a stone seat, referred to as Falconer’s Seat and also known as the Throne of Yorkshire. From the memorial, you’ll enjoy far-reaching views of North Yorkshire.

Further along the Cleveland Way, you can take a short detour to the peak of Cringle Moor. At the peak, Beck and I found a rocky cairn and enjoyed splendid views of Carlton Bank, which is one of the nearby Cleveland hills.

Eventually, you’ll descend Cringle Moor along a stone path, which reveals further breathtaking views of the surrounding area, including the Cleveland plain.

Cleveland Way

You’ll soon depart the Lord Stones Walk, continuing east along the Cleveland Way. Along this section of the Cleveland Way, the Wainstones start to become clearer in the distance.

Soon enough, you’ll join the Wainstones Walk. A stone path then ascends Hasty Bank, where you’ll find the majestic Wainstones.

The Wainstones

For sure, the Wainstones are the highlight of the combined Wainstones and Lord Stones Walk. The rock formations are truly awe-inspiring and worth the time to explore slowly. This was a great opportunity to fly the drone, capturing mindblowing aerial photos and video of the rock formations (YouTube video).

After clambering through the Wainstones, you’ll soon descend Hasty Bank. You’ll then cross the road, near the Clay Bank Car Park.

Urra Moor

After crossing the road, you’ll immediately begin ascending Urra Moor. Admittedly, the walk along Urra Moor lacks any specific points of interest. Yet, the highest point of Urra Moor is also the highest point in the North York Moors National Park. So, on a clear day, you’ll continue to enjoy breathtaking views of the area.

Eventually, you’ll walk down Urra Moor and arrive at the charming village of Chop Gate. Beck and I didn’t stop at Chop Gate. We simply walked through the village, quickly joining the trail that leads through Cold Moor.

Cold Moor

From Cold Moor, you’ll soon appreciate great views of the opposite-facing Urra Moor. The meandering and undulating path that cuts through Cold Moor continues to reveal outstanding views.

Soon enough, you’ll complete the Wainstones Walk. You’ll then re-join the Cleveland Way, heading west, and soon re-join the Lord Stones Walk. Along the remaining portion of the Lord Stones Walk, you’ll see stunning views of North Yorkshire, including a panoramic view of the town of Middlesbrough.

Once you’ve finished the walk, you might want to consider a beverage at the lovely Lord Stones Cafe, located by the country park’s car park.

Route Variations

Of course, you might not want to do the combined Wainstones and Lord Stones Walk. You may just want to do these walks separately.

Otherwise, there are shorter alternative routes that explore both the Wainstones and the Lord Stones.

The Lord Stones to Wainstones Walk is an 8km figure-of-eight circuit that starts from Lord Stones Country Park. Essentially, you do the same walk as described above from the Lord Stones to the Wainstones. But, instead of continuing along the Wainstones Walk, once you reach the Wainstones, you simply return to the Lord Stones Country Park.

This 8km Lord Stones to Wainstones Walk is the shortest route option for seeing both the Lord Stones and the Wainstones.

Another figure-of-eight circuit trail option includes walking from Clay Bank to the Lord Stones via the Wainstones. This walk is around 12.5km.

Other Walks in the North York Moors

If you want to enjoy other longer walks in the North York Moors, we recommend the Hole of Horcum Circular Walk, the Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby Walk and the Goathland Waterfall Walk.

Where We Stayed in the North York Moors

Having spent quite a bit of time in the North York Moors, we’ve experienced both camping and staying in a traditional pub hotel.

Camping: we have camped in Middlewood Farm Holiday Park in Fylingthorpe, which is just outside of Robin Hood’s Bay. It’s certainly one of the best campgrounds in the North York Moors.

Accommodation: we stayed at The George & Dragon Hotel in Kirkbymoorside, near Helmsley. If you’re looking for one of the best value stays in the North York Moors, we highly recommend staying there.